Electromagnetic actuating mechanism for solenoid valves or the like



July 18, 1944,

C. J. LANE ET AL ELECTROMAGNETIC ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR SOLENOID VALVES OR THE LIKE Filed April 25, 1942 lNVENTaOjf Patented July 18, 1944" ELECTROMAGNETIC ACTUATING MECHA- NISM FOR SOLENOID VALVES OR. THE

LIKE

Clifford J. Lane, Buffalo, and Albert M. Patterson, Lewisto n, N. Y., assignors to Aeronautical Manufacturing Corporation, Niagara Falls, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 25, 1942, Serial No. 440,446

1 Claim. (Cl.

This invention relates to an electromagnetic control the flow ,of gasoline into the oil systems of combustion engines when oil dilution is required to permit of easy starting and also as a heater control valve to control the flow of fuel to the heater used for heating the cock pit of the airplane. The invention is, however, not limited to any particular use and will handle all types of fluids which will not aflect the synthetic rubber or other soft, resilient, plastic material used as the sealing means for the valve.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to provide an electromagnetic actuating mechanism for a solenoid valve which can be designed to handle all types of fluids and which will operate under high pressures and may be supplied with any type of coil to suit various voltages and currentrconditions.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an electromagnetic actuating mechanism which is extremely simple and inexpensive in construction, thereby permitting of the valve being supplied in quantity and at low cost.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an actuating mechanism for a valve in which the solenoid coil is completely sealed from the fluid which the valve handles.

. Another object is to provide such an actuating mechanism for a valve in which the core of the solenoid, which also forms the plunger 01 the valve, is held to its seat both by spring pressure and also the pressure of the fluid handled by the valve 50 as to resist the effect of inertia on the plunger as well as to assist the seating 01' the plunger.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a solenoid valve embodying our invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view.

taken on line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a reduced horizontal sectional view, taken on line 8-4, Fig. 2.

The valve body i 01 the solenoid valve is shown as having coaxial inlet and outlet ports H and I2, respectively, each of which-extends short of the center of the valve body and is shown as 80 threaded to receive the pipes which conduct the fluid which the valve controls. At its center the valve body is provided with a large bore l8 shown as extending downwardly from the top of the,

a valve seat I, this valve seat surrounding a reduced bore 15 leading to the outlet port l2. A diagonal bore l8 connects the enlarged bore I! with the inlet port H.

The valve plunger I1 is made of a magnetic material and slides in the sleeve l8 which forms part of a spool I! of the solenoid. This sleeve i8 is made of stainless steel or other nonmagnetic metal and the lower end of the plunger H has bonded thereto a head 28 of synthetic rubber or other soft, resilient, plastic material which seats against the seat ll of the valve and is of such composition as not to be adversely aflected by the particular fluid handled by the valve. To insure a reliable connection betwen the plunger 11 and the synthetic rubber head 28 of the valve,

The lower end of the sleeve I8 is soldered to an annular end plate 28 of substantial thickness, this end plate being provided with a central bore 21 for the plunger i1 and this bore having a rabbet or annular recess at its upper end into which the sleeve i8 is fitted and can be silver soldered. The upper end of the sleeve 18 is fitted around a cylindrical stop 28 which is made of a magnetic material and is provided at its upper end with an annular outwardly extending flange 28 which extends outwardly beyond the sleeve l8 and against the underside of which the sleeve I8 is fitted. Below the flange 28 the stop 28 is provided with an annular recess 38 which is adapted to receive solder II which Joins the sleeve l8 and the stop 28. It will therefore be seen that the spool l8 is'iormed by the'end-plate 26, sleeve l8 and stop 28 and that these parts are soldered together so as to provide a fluid-tight unitary structure. The underside of the stop 28 is axiallybored to provide a conical recess leading'to a reduced bore 88. The upper end oi the plunger i8 is conically formed, as indicated at 81, to fit into the conical recess 88 and is also provided with a small axial bore 88 allning with the bore 88 of the'stop 28. A small helical compression spring 48 is arranged in these reduced bores 88 and 88 of the" stop 28 and plunger II, respectively, this spring resisting the eflect of valve body and formed at its bottom to provide 85 inertia on the Plunger II as well'as assisting the seatingoitheplunger. Itwillalsobenotedthat plunger ll i forced downwardly andseated by thepressureoithefluidenteringtheinletport thereturnspringllandtheheadsloisynthetic H of the valve assists in condition of the valve and in avoiding leakage thereof, the flt of the plunger II the sleeve ll being sufliciently loose so that the pressure of the fluid handled is exerted on the top end of the plunger so that the fluid pressure tends to hold the valve closed.

The solenoid coils, indicated at ll, are wound upon the spool ll, suitable insulation 40 being provided between the spool and the coil. The coil amembly is enclosed by an inverted cupshaped cap 48 which is made of steel or other magnetic material to complete the flux path between the stop 2. and the plate II, the top of this cup-shaped cap a bearing against the stop 28 and the lower rim oi the cup-shaped cap 48 being closely fitted to the periphery of the end plate 26. The lower rim oi the cup-shaped cap ll is formed to provide an annular outwardly extending flange 5| which is secured, by screws ii, to the valve body. An annular gasket '2 of soft, resilient plastic material is arranged in annular opposing grooves ll and I provided in the end plate It and valve body II, respectively, and it will therefore be seen that the tightening of the screws Ii serves to draw the cup-shaped cap ll and spool ll downwardly, thereby to tightly compress the gasket I2 in its grooves II and 84, respectively. This gasket provides a head seal for the valve to positively prevent leakage of the fluid to the exterior thereof.

The valve body is shown as provided with the usual bolt holes 55 by means of which the valve can be attached to any stationary support (not shown) and the valve body is also shown as having a standard connector II for the electrical control line (not shown). The electrical connector I is connected to the coils ll oi the solenoid in any usual and well known manner. The cup-shaped cap 48 is also shown as having the usual identifying label ll on its top.

In action, when the coils ll of the'solenoid are energized, a magnetic flux path is set up through the plunger l1, end plate 20, cup-shaped cap 48 and stop 23, thereby to draw the plunger ll upwardly against the resistance of the spring ll and to permit the fluid to whom the inlet port Ii through the diagonal bore I! into the enlarged central bore II and reduced central bore I! and out through the outlet port it. The upward movement of the plunger 11 is limited by the stop 2! into the conical recess ll of which the conical upper end ll of the plunger seats.

Upon deenergizing the coils of the solenoid, the

rubber or similar sort, resilient, plastic material isheldagainstthevslveseat ll bythespring and also by the pressure of the fluid.

Since the stainless steel sleeve ll, stop 20 and end plate II are soldered together to form a unitary spool structure, and since the cup-shaped cap 48 holds this spool firmly against the annularsealinggasketMitwillbeseenthatthere is no danger of any leakage of the fluid handled by the valve, especially into the cup which houses the coils of the solenoid.

Promtheforegoingitwillbeseenthatthe present invention provides an extremely simple and inexpensive solenoid valve in which the pressureoftheiluidhandledisusedtomaintainthe valve in its cloud condition and in which the valve is provided with a simple and eilective head seal for preventing escape of the fluid being handled, especially into the space occupied by the coils of the solenoid.

We claim as our invention:

An electromagnetic actuating mechanism for a solenoid valve or the like, comprising a s pp rting body having a bore in one side, a cylindrical plunger of magnetic metal and having one end arranged in said bore and its opposite end provided with an axial bore, a unitary spool includ; ing a central sleeve in which said Plunger is slidingly fltted, an end plate arranged adjacent said body and having a bore in which said plunger is fltted and an annular lace groove around its bore in which the corresponding end of said sleeve is fltted and soldered, a stop plug in the opposite end of said sleeve-and soldered therein and having a radially extending end flange fltting the corresponding end of said sleeve, a helical compression spring in said axial bore of said plunger and bearing against said plug, a solenoid coil wound upon said spool, an annular gasket surrounding said plunger and interposed between said end plate of said spool and said body, and means for holding said spool against said gasket, comprising a one piece, cylindrical cup-shaped cap having its end wall bearing directly against the outer extremity of said plug and its side wall surrounding said spool and the solenoid ooil wound thereon and having a radially outward extending flange at its open end, and screws having threaded engagement with said body and extending through said radially outward extending flange of said cup-shaped cap and having heads bearing thereagainst.

CLIFFORD J. LANE. ALBERT M. PATTERSON. 

